Overview

• Hyogo Prefectural Police on Aug. 24 transferred Masashi Tanimoto, 35, to the Kobe public prosecutors' office on suspicion of murder.
• CCTV relay analysis shows he tailed K. Katayama, 24, for at least ten minutes before the Aug. 20 attack in her apartment building elevator.
• Police say he arrived in Kobe around Aug. 17 and stayed at a nearby hotel, then boarded a Tokyo-bound Shinkansen from JR Shin-Kobe shortly after the stabbing.
• He was located by Metropolitan Police near JR Okutama on Aug. 22 and was taken into custody after showing slight resistance, according to reports.
• Tanimoto has told investigators he stabbed the abdomen "one or two times" and says he is unsure about intent; no prior stalking complaints from the victim have been confirmed as the motive remains under investigation.